CAT’BARET SUCCESS: $100k+ Raised for Cats Through Magic, Song, and Sequins

Posted on October 25, 2019 by treehousecats

The results are in and our first-ever Cat’baret event was a sparkling success! In total, we raised over $100,000 in sponsorships, pledges, and donations, with almost half of that coming in during our mid-show fundraiser.

After some fab tunes from the highly-talented cabaret team of Scott Gryder and Nick Sula, our fearless leader Raissa Allaire took to the stage to tell all of our attendees about the work Tree House has accomplished this year. From putting a comforting kitten into the hands of a 101-year-old man to working towards a clinic to provide spay, neuter, and wellness services to families and animals in need, Tree House has done a lot for our community, for which we are very proud.

After more entertainment and a sneak preview of the documentary being filmed by Scrappers Film Group about Tree House’s TNR efforts, our guests took part in a Fund the Need paddle raise. The hands of our incredibly generous donors were flashing up into the air to give to the cats and community that we serve and we are absolutely honored to announce that we raised $50,000 in donations and pledges during that portion alone.

It seems that philanthropy and fun can indeed go together and Tree House proved that last night. Check out some great snapshots of the festivities below. Special thanks to Sprung Photo for the event photography and Steve Scap for step and repeat photography.

If you’d like to contribute to Cat’baret, it’s not too late! You can still take part in this event by donating a virtual cocktail to our kitties. We don’t know about you, but we have yet to find a cat who would refuse a glass of Dom Purr-ignon.

A huge thank you to all of our sponsors, guests, staff, and friends who made this one of our most successful events to date. Thank you for believing in our work. It is all of you who are saving the cats of Chicago and beyond.

Cheers!

Love,

Tree House.

Cat’baret 2019 Sponsors:

Best in show: Accenture

Faithful Companion: Hypurrthyroid

Paw-tner: VCA Cat Hospital of Chicago, Pets First Veterinary Clinic, Fifth Third Bank, First Midwest Bank, Merrick Pet Care

Friends of Tree House: IDEXX Laboratories

Edited 11/7/2019 to amend donation totals.

CAT’BARET OCTOBER 24: COME JOIN US!

Posted on October 23, 2019 by treehousecats

It’s not too late to join us for Cat’baret! This Thursday, October 24, from 5:30 to 9 pm, we will be celebrating our love of cats cabaret-style at Chicago’s City Winery.

There will be magic, there will be contortion, there will be music, and singing, and piano, food, desserts, wine, beer, soda, fun, photographers, good will, cheer, and a great cause.

Do not miss our first-ever Cat’baret for our cats.

Get your tickets online or buy at the door.

We will be waiting for you.

Love,

Tree House.

ANNOUNCING OUR NEW LOGO AND BRAND REFRESH

Posted on October 1, 2019 by treehousecats

Behold!

Ta da!

After much thought, effort, and some pro bono kindness, Tree House is announcing our refreshed brand and a new logo to match our modern shelter facility and cutting-edge cat care model.

See the change in action.

We’re getting up there in years; at age 48, we thought it was time to spruce ourselves up a bit. After moving into our modern, eco-friendly Roger’s Park building built specifically for us, we decided to update our look to match. We wanted something simple and impactful that would be useful across today’s scope of social media and that was flexible enough to help advertise all of our new programs, including our TNR efforts, Cat Cafe, and forthcoming public clinic. (You’ll be hearing more on that soon.)

In place of the tree, which had been a part of our logo since the beginning, our new logo features a smiling, content cat that depicts what we wish to see in every cat that comes through our doors, and also those that live outside.

Look at this content little mug.

We want our look to support our new mission statement to empower communities of caregivers to protect, nurture, and support new solutions so no cat suffers. Tree House envisions a world where every cat thrives, and we feel our new logo supports that vision by clearly expressing the end goal of our work.

Executive Director Raissa Allaire had this to say about our changes: “We are so excited to finally share our new look with the world. We have worked very hard on the process internally and feel that our rebrand, combined with our updated vision, mission, and forthcoming new website, will help us better serve the cats in our care and the public who support us in our efforts. You will be seeing a lot of great new things from Tree House to enhance the lives of the animals in our community, including a new public clinic, in the coming months and years.”

A brief journey through the years.

Our new look was made possible by a collaboration with Critical Mass, a creative agency who has worked with Tree House in the past. (You may remember the Real Lives of Tree House Cats campaign from a few years ago.) We reached out to them again this spring about the project, and a small group of creatives—including Jaclyn Hammer, Evan Cole and Elizabeth Wolfe—pounced on the opportunity. The work was done pro bono and we at Tree House appreciate all of their efforts.

As the weeks go on, we will continue rolling out the new look until it is finalized. We welcome everyone to visit our shelter to see the progress, and maybe even pick up a new logo-branded item in our shop. They’re pretty sweet and your purchases help support our kitties and our mission.

We couldn’t be where we are today without your support.

Love,

Tree House.

GET IN LINE FOR STAN’S DONUTS

Posted on September 20, 2019 by treehousecats

This is Stan:

Note that he’s clearly snuggling some kittens, which we at Tree House have dubbed “The Donuts.”

You see, we pulled Stan from CACC, our city shelter, and found that four kittens had decided he was their new mom. It’s rare to see a male cat so receptive to the charms of kittens, but here we have proof in Stan, a fellow with a kind heart but a stoic demeanor, willing to let kittens try to suckle his nonexistent milk. Have a look:

The kittens and Stan need a bit of medical care for upper respiratory infections, so they’ll be in foster for the next few weeks. But after that, LINE UP! These guys are going to go like hot cakes, and to further sweeten the deal, ::insert drumroll here::

Stan’s Donuts is going to give each adopter a dozen donuts.

Yup. A dozen.

WHO DOESN’T WANT KITTENS AND DONUTS?

So, decide now if you want Apple Fritter, Peanut Butter Pocket, Beignet, or Boston Creme, or you can really take the cake and adopt Stan himself. You won’t find a more laid back, cool cat than Stan.

Stay tuned to Instagram @treehousehumanesociety for updates and more pics!

Love,

Tree House.

Oh la la, look at this saucy little Peanut Butter Pocket.

Tree House And the NY Cat Film Festival

Posted on August 28, 2019 by treehousecats

Hear ye, Hear ye! Tree House will be the official beneficiary of the New York Cat Film Festival this coming September 10th, 2019! But what does this mean?!

That cat looks concerned. Our cats never look this concerned, except for when we tell them we have to take their temperatures.

It means that 10% of every ticket sold to people interested in watching 2 hours of delightful cat documentaries will be handed over to our trusty shelter and used to enrich of the lives of the cats in our care.

If you’re unfamiliar with it, The NY Cat Film Festival is an annual celebration of the cats who share our lives, through short films from around the world that inspire, educate, and entertain, benefitting local animal welfare groups that bring people and pets together. The programming is designed for adult audiences but can be enjoyed by all members of the family, including mature children. Topics include Samantha and the Rock Cats, Harold “Cat Man” Sims, a professional cat groomer, and loads of other cat-related stories.

Ready to go? Get your tickets and tell the world here!

Don’t want to tell the world? Then quietly buy your ticket here, wear all black, and make eye contact with no one.

We hope to see you there! (Or not, depending on which of the above you’re comfortable with.)

Love,

Tree House.

Tree House Is Participating in Clear the Shelters

Posted on August 16, 2019 by treehousecats

Once again, Tree House will be taking part in the NBC/Telemundo Chicago Clear the Shelters big event, where we welcome many potential adopters to our location and waive all of our adoption fees for the day for kitties 6 months of age and older.

This year, we’ll be welcoming Pet Supplies Plus to our shelter, and they might have a few little surprises to give to our visitors.

Additionally, you’ll get a chance to meet and greet Saffron P. Sorbet, better known as Saffy P, our fabulous calico mascot. She’ll be dancing around and celebrating the occasion of all her furry friends finding their forever fhomes. (Sorry, but we had to keep the alliteration going.)

a large calico cat in orange, black, and white mascot costume — Saffy P Sorbet, the big cat who speaks for the little cats. (Well, ok, she doesn’t speak at all, but actions are louder than words, anyway.)

So, if you’re ready to adopt the love of your life, set aside some time this Saturday, August 17th between 12 pm to 6 pm and get up here to Tree House. Our kitties have all their bags packed and are prepped and ready.

Love,

Tree House.

Update: Post was updated at 12:38 pm CST August 16th to specify that adoption fees are waived for cats 6 months of age and older.

FeLV Fosters Needed – We’re Offering A Sweet Perk

Posted on August 7, 2019 by treehousecats

If you haven’t heard by now, Leonardo Pescatore, our two-year resident and carrier of FIV and FeLV, was finally adopted! We heard it might have been because of his #ChickenHatProtest when he wore a chicken hat (at his discretion, when he felt like it) to bring attention to his incredibly long length of stay. Such was the success of the chicken hat that Leonardo left instruction upon his departure to name a worthy successor in the hope that its magic will work once again. Who did he name? We’ll tell you at the end of the post, but first we need you to know something about FeLV+ cats.

Cats like Leonardo often don’t get a chance to find a home. Up until very recently, cats with FeLV were euthanized immediately upon entry to a shelter. The virus wasn’t well understood and the cats who carried it were feared.

Tree House is one of a few shelters in the world offering a safe place for cats with FeLV. You’ll notice we feature them in our Cat Cafe. Currently, we have roughly 9 spots in our shelter – they live separately in their own colonies, away from the general population to minimize any spread of the virus, which could happen for cats with underdeveloped or compromised immune systems. Each time one of these cats is adopted, a spot opens up in our cafe or adoption floor and we bring in a new FeLV+ kitty from other shelters and from foster homes.

Being the forward thinkers that we are, Tree House started wondering how we can help even more of these special kitties. We can’t increase space in our shelter, but we CAN increase space in our foster homes, and that’s where YOU come in! We need YOU to open your home to our FeLV+ waiting list.

We’ll bet you never looked at your spare bedroom or back office and thought “Man, this room is lifesaving.” Well, it is! It can absolutely save a life or two because you can fill it with an FeLV+ cat that we can pull from another shelter and take into the Tree House family. The cats can then be transferred onto our floor when space is available, OR they can be adopted right out of your home as part of our Home Base program. Either way, we all win.

And what’s the “Sweet Perk” mentioned above? Anyone who agrees to foster an FeLV cat gets free admission for life to our Cat Cafe and 10% off any drinks. That’s a pretty impressive club to be a card-carrying member of, we think.

Ready to save a life? Apply to foster.

And who shall carry on the #ChickenHatProtest in Leo’s stead? Watch and find out. The reveal is epic, we promise.

Love,

Tree House.

Cat Walk Wrap Up and List of Winners

Posted on July 30, 2019 by treehousecats

It happened – the first-ever Tree House Cat Walk Pub Crawl event took place on July 27th, 2019 and it was a success! Thanks to everyone’s efforts, including all of our supporters, we were SOLD OUT two weeks before the date. Over 250 people got together to have fun, try some tasty drinks, and support Tree House’s vision to see every cat thrive. Here are some other major successes connected with the event:

Two of our sponsor cats, Leonardo Pescatore and Adam(o), were adopted! #TeamLeoCat and #TeamAdamoCat can celebrate big wins. That just leaves Cleopatra, our darling Calico, here. She’s waiting and she’s ready, so send everyone you know to meet her! And, since she’s still here, you have one more chance to donate in her name to help her and other cats like her get that one thing they’ve been waiting for: a home.

We Raised: Just over $20,000!

There are winners! Scroll down to the end of this post to see if you won one of our fantastic prizes.

A special thanks goes out to all of our sponsors and our host bars, to Wow Bao for donating a post-event snack for everyone, and to all of our attendees for being available and ready to support. No event can be a success without you. Our kitties send their love and thanks to you all!

And now for some picture highlights, courtesy of Barry Brecheisen Photography:

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

A one-night stay for two at the Drake Hotel

Betsy Pilmer

Two tickets to a Cubs game (Section 134), donated by Michael Gerhardt from ReMax

Staci Rhoads

Two club seats to a White Sox game (with Stadium Club Access), donated by Barry and Bobbi Ann Fulk

Sarah Rubin

Two (2) cocktail class passes from KOVAL Distillery

Danielle Richards

Four (4) distillery tour and tasting passes from KOVAL

Sarah Jackson

Two tickets to a performance at the Joffrey Ballet

Regan Brewer-Johnson

Two tickets to a performance at Victory Gardens

Tom Fuller

Dinner for two at Ramen-san ($100 gift card)

Fawna Black-Cicotte

Dinner for two at Sushi-san ($100 gift card)

Kelly Stone

Dinner for two at Il Porcellino ($100 gift card)

Dieter Keltner